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The Long and the Short of It

Do you ever look at photos on other blogs and think: “I wonder what’s around that corner’? I catch myself doing it all the time. What’s behind the house just outside of view? Where is the wheelbarrow in relation to the garden? Is that what I think it is?!?

Of course it’s none of my business, but that doesn’t stop my curious mind from traveling along the path. The solution is simple. I’ll buy a private jet so I can travel around the world, meeting all my fellow bloggers. I’ll deliver in-person hugs, and then, when I finally let go, hours of tea-drinking and a Q & A will ensue. When I arrive home, I’ll know the long and short of it.

Sadly, no room in the budget for my private jet fantasy. It’s fun to dream though.

Today I took photos with both the long and the short view. Closeups are usually more interesting, but seeing the origins of that closeup can also be fun.

Burgundy Fringe Flower (Loropetalum)

This beauty grows along the back fence under the Pittosporum. It gives a lovely splash of color from a distance, and continues to delight up close. Those fringe-like flowers look like fairy garden pom poms in the making.

The closeup

I wrote about the intoxicating scent of the Daphne a few weeks ago. It’s still covered with tiny flowers, but the fragrance seems to be fading. I think it’s pretty both near and far.

Daphne in the garden

Daphne up close

These low-growing plants hug the patio near the outdoor table. Purple and white look so pretty together and the Alyssum smells like honey. I love sitting out there in the summer.

Bell-flower and Alyssum

Bellflower

Mighty Mouse belongs to a neighbor, but he spends all of his ‘spare’ time at our place.

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27 thoughts on “The Long and the Short of It”

Always nice to get a reminder there are plenty of ways to look at the same subject. For example I’m choosing to frame our winter weather as a joke rather than a tragedy, you can laugh at a joke at least.

I know exactly what you mean – I often wonder the same things myself and sometimes I cannot post just the intended item, but do the whole big shot because it satisfies my longing to know ‘whats it really like’ I actually did that in my last blog post, I bet you’ll catch it!

I love Daphne – I think I’ve said that to you before…. and alyssum, it is a most satisfying plant in its hardiness and spreading and seeding and aroma…. Love the cute pictures that captured Mighty Mouse going for a bite of grass – very balletic looking pose!

Your garden is the most un-winter-like garden that I have ever seen! Despite our off again-on again summer, my garden is doing pretty well – I have been eating lettuce and spinach for a couple of weeks and the jasmine is in its second flush of the season and so deliciously aromatic it wafts through the entire house. The flowers are blooming and the heliotrope also smells divine.

I say keep on visualising you in your private plane doing the rounds – some of these things actually do come to pass. Wouldn’t it be so much fun!!

Alyssum is a wonderful self-seeder and IMO even better in subsequent years. The whole ‘survival of the fittest’. It’s already sprouting all over the garden. I’m not sure why the one pictured is so much further along.

That Mighty Mouse should get a modeling contract. I think his cute face could seriously move some cat chow.

I’m glad to hear your garden is doing well, and simply turning it’s back on the half-hearted summer. Go garden!

Oh jasmine…I could smell that all day too. Ours should be flowering any day now.

Though a private jet is unlikely, travel is not. Over the years I’ve learned how to do it on the cheap. I traveled through Europe for two months the year I turned 30, and only spent $50 a day (or less). I stayed in youth hostels, road the train and spent little money on food. Best time of my life.

I did the Europe thing via youth hostels too – only I was 38 I think – what an adventure that was! I’ve just been reading your facebook post about queuing and am shocked that you have to do that – I thought our passport system was tedious, but now I think it’s great 🙂

LOL! Yes, tedious about covers it. We’ll be back in the car in another twenty minutes for round two, with both of us checking and rechecking applications and documentation and hoping we’ve not forgotten anything.

The application requires a fee, cleary stated on the form. I took three checks with me this morning, assuming, it’s the government, they’ll want one check per application. Once there they had a sign requiring two fees: to the State Department and to the Postmaster. I’ll be writing six checks! They usually take ATM but the system is down today. What next?

I loved staying at youth hostels. I met so many interesting people from around the world. I wish Facebook had been a ‘thing’ then as it would have been much easier to maintain those connections. That said, I’m still in touch with two friends from the road, an Aussie and an American.

I have the travel bug for sure. We would do more of it if it weren’t so hard on my oldest son.

The view, long and short, looks wonderful from here. You’ve got everything so tidy and looking healthy, even in your drought. Of course my favourite part is Mighty Mouse in full-on snacking mode. He’s so dang cute.
What a good idea for a post Alys. I do like to envision things, to fill out the corners. It’s like when a movie ends without a definitive conclusion, they leave it up to the viewer.
I’m picturing Fairy Garden Cheerleaders with their tiny fuchsia pom-poms 😀 I wonder what Mouse would think of that? HA Hooray for a Private Jet, oh how fun that’d be. What should you paint on the side? xoK

Oh, Mighty Mouse would be totally famous 😀 I think your personal Jet should have a picture of mouses head on the nose of the plane and the wings look like paws and the tail is….well of course the tail ! I will try and design one and get back to you on that..hehe xoox

Gardens rarely look good all at once. Branches break, flowers die back, leaves fall. But to me, that is all part of the charm and also opportunities to work outdoors. I find it therapeutic pulling weeds, pruning, planting and trimming. Digging is the hard part for me these days, unless it’s soft, well turned earth.

So…jump right in. I’m sure I’m no the only one pining for the long view. 🙂

I so appreciate looking at your garden when the wind is beating the rain upside down. It’s been wild and wooly here. Always green but still too cold for me outside for long. I give it another week or two and spring will just pop her head in to say hello. Mighty Mouse is just full of himself isn’t he? What a character. I will admit (please don’t tell) that I am always kind of nosy and want to see it all. I love wide shots till they come to my house. 🙂 That’s where I crop so you can’t see what still hasn’t found a place to hide. Thanks for the hopeful touch of spring.

We do get rain through spring. I’ll be glad that it will be warmer. Cold is hard on the face nerves from Bells. Come on spring. I take advantage of every dry day to get out a bit. I’m still wishing you rain.

We’ve had a long, wonderful day of rain, Marlene. My oldest son loves the rain, so has spent part of the afternoon and the evening in the yard letting it wash over him. Yes, he is his mother’s son. I used to pull weeds in the rain, staying outdoors till I couldn’t feel my toes anymore.

I’m really sorry to hear that the cold is hard on your face nerves. I suppose it causes more constriction of the blood vessels. Knowing that, I wish you an early, warm spring. Hugs to you, Marlene.

My, what big teeth you have gorgeous Mr. Mouse! All the better to eat Alys’ grass with! He is such a gorgeous model! I wonder – do your neighbours know about Mouse’s secret life as an internet sensation? Love the long and the short of your gorgeous garden!

Thank you, Dani! He is the handsomest, sweetest kitty around. He doesn’t get much love at home, so he comes looking for it here where he gets it in spades. He plays with the daycare children next door to our left, and also gets treats from another neighbor to the right. He’s carved out a wonderful life for himself. We’re so happy to be a part of it.

He gets along well with our cat Lindy, and Beijing gives him warning growls and Slinky puts him in his place if he comes to close to the desk. It all works out somehow.

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I'm passionate about gardening, organizing, blogging and cats. I live in Silicon Valley, California with my husband of 22 years and two almost-grown sons. Our feline family varies. The current count is three.